Levomepromazine

It can be used as an analgesic for moderate to severe pain in non-ambulant patients (the latter being because of its strong sedative effects). Levomepromazine is also used at lower doses for the treatment of nausea and insomnia. A 2010 systematic review compared the efficacy of levomepromazine with atypical antipsychotic drugs: ==Adverse effects==

The most common side effect is akathisia. Levomepromazine has prominent sedative and anticholinergic/sympatholytic effects (dry mouth, hypotension, sinus tachycardia, night sweats) and may cause weight gain. These side effects normally preclude prescribing the drug in doses needed for full remission of schizophrenia, so it has to be combined with a more potent antipsychotic. In any case, blood pressure and EKG should be monitored regularly. A rare but life-threatening side effect is neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). The symptoms of NMS include muscle stiffness, convulsions and fever. == History ==

The drug (under the name Nozinan) started clinical trials in France in 1956 and was studied in Canada 3 years later. == References ==